How to Prune Black Cherry Trees

Remove dead or broken branches from the black cherry tree any time of year. Make the pruning cut with a hand pruners 1/2 inch above a lower branch junction, leaf or dormant bud. If an entire branch needs removal from the trunk, make the cut 1/4 inch next to the trunk and don't damage the trunk's bark. For branches greater than 3/4 inch in diameter, use a loppers or pruning saw.

Trim away any low-hanging branches that block pedestrian access in your garden or shade other plants. Focus pruning in early to late spring. To avoid sap bleeding, make pruning cuts in fall after the first fall frost and the leaves start dropping off the black cherry.

Cut off any branches that develop a narrow-angle crotch. Select the weaker or smaller-sized branch in the crotch for removal, making the pruning cut 1/2 inch above the connection with the other branch in the fork. Branches growing in an angle less than 45 degrees off off a twig or trunk do not have strong wood and most often split or fail after a wind storm or heavy ice storm.

Use a sturdy, A-frame ladder to access higher branches that need pruning. If a black cherry is pruned for best structure when younger and smaller, there is reduced chance of corrective pruning needed later on as the tree grows in height.

Pull up unwanted seedlings of black cherries from the landscape across the spring and summer months. If the seedling is too large to easily pull up, prune it down harshly, even with the soil, to weaken it and prevent it from growing any larger.